BACOLOD City – The city government is appealing to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to look into the increase in power rates in the service area of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco).
Mayor Evelio Leonardia also asked ERC chairperson Agnes Devanadera for help regarding the damaged submarine cable of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) connecting the Cebu-Negros transmission line in Amlan, Negros Oriental.
“Other electric cooperatives in Negros and Panay Islands were also forced to increase their power rates,” he pointed out.
Leonardia said sourcing out supply via the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) to avoid massive outages resulted to the “spiraling cost of power” which the utility firms consequently passed on to consumers.
Ceneco’s average power rate for August was P12.3724 per kilowatt hour (/kwh), an increase of P1.8789/kwh from July’s P10.4935/kwh.
This was an “additional burden” to people who have yet to recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, Leonardia said.
“Electric cooperatives, too, have no choice but ensure that supply is stable even if they have to source it out from high-priced WESM that also charges line rental and related administrative costs, among others,” he added.
Earlier, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) requested Ceneco to explain the hike.
Ceneco acting general manager, Danny Pondevilla attributed the increase to high generation charges due to the damaged submarine cable.
On June 15, the NGCP 13BKV high voltage submarine cable was damaged due to the dredging and re-channeling activities undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways along Bio-os River in Barangay Jagna, Amlan.
Consequently, the submarine transmission capacity was reduced from 180MW full capacity to 90MW.
“The persisting consequence is causing Negros Island to experience two major impacts: rotating blackouts because NGCP issues Manual Load Dropping instructions during peak hours; and escalating WESM prices,” Pondevilla said.
Ceneco president Jojit Yap, meanwhile, said they were one with the city government in calling on the ERC, National Electrification Administration, Department of Energy, and Philippine Electricity Market Corp. to intervene in the matter.
A speedy restoration of the damaged submarine cable is needed, Yap said./PN
